Time of Dying
by BeautifulAccola
Summary: You all thought it was over? It never is with this family. Read on as Caroline goes through the best and worst times of her life...And to top it off? She has a stalker that doubles as her former flame, while her mother is an angel in the ground.
1. Waking Up To Ash and Dust

Kol I Need Your Help

Shaking, Caroline read the note once more…

_Welcome home, Caroline. I miss you…See you soon. –Mason._

This was real…He was back…With a sickening feeling pooling in her stomach, she grabbed the flowers and threw them outside. With shaking hands, she balled the note in her fist and shoved it into her pocket.

She ran upstairs and put clothes on before grabbing her cell phone and dialing her uncle's number…

She paced the room until he picked up, on the last ring, "Hello?"

"Uncle Kol…Are you and Bonnie at home?" She asked, cursing internally as she realized her voice was full of fear.

"Yes. What's wrong?" He asked, immediately concerned.

She sighed, "Stay on the line with me please? I…I'm scared." She whispered the last part to him.

"Caroline, what's wrong? Where's Elijah and Nick?"

She made her way to her father's room, remembering he had a gun in his closet…

"They went out for a run…Promise you won't tell them?" She asked, wanting to keep the note from them.

"Why?"

She sighed, thinking back to her mother's face when she was shot, "They can't know…"

Kol stayed silent, the pieces slowly but surely coming together in his head, "Did Mason contact you?"

She searched through her father's tie drawer and found the pistol in the back…With a smile she pulled it out and ran back to her room. She ignored her uncle's question and shoved the gun into her bag.

"Caroline." Kol said, demanding her attention.

"I'll be at your house in five minutes…" She said as she went to the restroom, putting her hair in a ponytail.

"You're scaring me, Kid." Kol said, genuinely worried for her.

"I'm sorry…I'm scared too…" She said as she began to brush her teeth.

"Are you pregnant?" He asked suddenly.

She rolled her eyes as she continued to brush her teeth, "No!" She spoke around all the foam in her mouth.

"Then I'm out of ideas. What the hell is the matter?"

She spit into the sink and rinsed her mouth, "I'll tell you when I see you, just stay on the line. Please?" She said as she went downstairs, her bag slung over her shoulder as she slipped her shoes on.

With a quick look outside, she opened the front door, grabbing her car keys and nearly ran to her car.

As she jumped in, she locked the doors and started the car, there was nothing out of place but she learned that you could never be too careful…

He had been here…He had left the flowers, she was sure of it…He was probably watching her now…

She breathed a sigh of relief as she drove down the street, "Uncle Kol?" She asked, remembering the phone still in her hands.

"Where are you?"

"Like 4 minutes away." She said as she made a right turn, turning onto her uncle's block.

"I'm waiting outside…"

"Ok, I'm almost there." She said, checking her rearview mirror, thankful that no one seemed to be following her.

As she drove up to Kol's house, she checked around, making sure Mason wasn't anywhere near…She clutched her bag then shut off the car, climbing out.

When Kol saw how frightened she looked, he went up to her, putting his phone in his pocket.

She put her phone in her bag and nearly ran to him, when she was close enough to him, she wrapped her arms around him and clutched her eyes closed, she began to cry.

He held her in his arms and looked around, "What happened?"

She sniffled and pulled away slightly, "I'll tell you inside with Bonnie…" She said before pulling him to the house.

* * *

Nick stared at his phone for a moment, rereading the text sent to him by his brother's girl…

_Caroline called Kol…She sounds scared…She's on her way here. I'll tell you when I know more. – B_

Why would she be scared? Because she woke up alone? No…It had to be something else…

He typed a quick reply before running to catch up with Elijah.

"Let's go to Kol's…Bonnie texted me. Said that Caroline is on her way to them, she sounded scared." Nick said as he ran beside his brother.

Elijah nodded once before turning the corner, planning on going to Kol's house, which was right down the block.

* * *

Bonnie felt her phone vibrate and checked, with a sigh she read the text.

_On my way._

Great…She looked up when Caroline and Kol came in, "What's going on?"

Caroline pulled the note from her pocket and gave it to her, "That's what is going on."

Bonnie read the note and stared at Caroline with wide eyes, "He contacted you?"

Kol went to his girlfriend and snatched the note from her, reading it he glared at Caroline, "You didn't think this was important to tell me over the phone?! Or even tell Nick and Elijah?!"

"They can't know! You can't tell them, please." Caroline practically begged, hoping they wouldn't say anything to Nick and her dad.

Bonnie sighed, "Caroline, they need to know this."

"They can't…I can't risk putting them in danger again, Bonnie." Caroline said, crossing her arms.

"You really think you can keep this from them?" Bonnie asked, staring at her.

"I can try." Caroline said as she sat on the couch.

"Now what if he shows up at the house again?" Kol asked.

"I'll kill him." Caroline answered simply.

"You're crazy right?" Kol asked her, not believing she would even think of this.

"He shot me…He took my mother…He's the reason she's dead. So no, I'm not crazy. I want to avenge my mother and protect the people I have left." Caroline said as she looked at both of them. "But I need you both to keep this from Nick and Dad…They can't know."

"Why not? They deserve to know this."

"We're finally getting back to normal. Nick isn't looking over his shoulder all the time and Dad isn't crying every time I see him. If I tell them about this, everything will go back to the way it was when we all came home after Michael was killed…They can't know this, you guys."

Bonnie looked at Kol and shrugged a little, "I won't say anything…Maybe you should tell Stefan though, that way there's some form of protection."

Caroline nodded a little, "Okay…Rebekah can't know either…I don't want to scare her any more than she is."

Kol nodded, agreeing with her, "Let's go find Stefan then. The sooner the better." He said as Caroline stood, wanting to get this over with already.

Bonnie looked at them and sighed, "Nick is on his way here…I told him that you had called, sounding scared…He'll be here soon."

"Tell him I told you that we got engaged and Uncle Kol wants to take me out to talk…" Caroline said with a small smile.

Bonnie's eyes widened and a huge smile formed on her face as she ran up to Caroline and hugged her, "Congratulations!"

Caroline laughed, "Thank you."

"I want all the details, but later. Go do what you need to…And be careful." Bonnie said as she pulled away from her, then went to kiss Kol's cheek.

Kol smiled and looked at Caroline, "We are going to have a talk either way, Darling."

"I know." Caroline said as they both walked out.

Caroline and Kol saw Nick and Elijah running up the street in the distance and quickly got in his car.

Kol backed up and drove down the road, fast enough that they completely bypassed their family on the sidewalk, "So how did he do it? How'd he pop the question?"

"We were laying on my bed…Talking and he just asked me…After a beautiful speech…I think he was kind of worried that I would say no…" She said, realizing that the talking distracted them from the pair on the sidewalk trying to get their attention.

Kol smiled, "Well he was always the romantic one…And the insecure one."

She nodded, "I'm figuring that out."

* * *

As Nick and Elijah went up to the front door of Kol's house, Bonnie opened the door. "They just left…"

"We saw. What happened?" Nick asked as he walked through the open door.

Elijah followed and looked at Bonnie.

"She told us that you proposed, so Kol decided to take her out for a talk. Brother or not, I think he's pretty protective of his niece." Bonnie forced a laugh out, hoping they bought it.

Nick blushed a light shade of red before shrugging, "That's usually how he is."

Elijah nodded, noticing something was off with Bonnie, he decided not to say anything but smile.

He'd figure it out eventually.

* * *

"He was let out today. I did everything I could to keep him locked up, but they said he served his time." Stefan said after Caroline showed him the note she had found.

"I figured. I didn't think he'd have someone drop the flowers off…" Caroline said as she crossed her arms, looking around at the park they were sitting in.

"What do we do?" Kol asked.

"I don't know…I have to get back to work, but I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" Stefan said before walking to his car and driving off.

Caroline and Kol slowly walked back to his car, passing all the trees at the local lake, she looked at him and sighed.

"What do you want to do?" He asked her.

"Look for him." Caroline said as she rubbed her eyes.

"No need. I'm right here." A voice came from the tree line as they both turned.

Kol grabbed Caroline by the wrist and pulled her behind himself, protectively. "Following us?"

"Maybe. You guys are pretty easy to find." Mason said as he put his hands in his pockets

"What do you want?" Caroline said to him, glaring daggers at him.

Mason shrugged, his expression giving nothing away, "You got my flowers?"

Caroline made fists and fought the urge to yell at him as she stepped around Kol to face him, "Look, I just want to know, what the hell do you want from me?"

Kol struggled to put distance between Caroline and Mason but she was having none of that, "Just tell me!" Caroline shouted at Mason as she yanked her arm away from Kol's grip.

"We're going to need a whole lot of time for me to explain everything." Mason said as he smiled sardonically, at least that's how Caroline saw it.

* * *

_Playlist_

_Radioactive - Imagine Dragons_


	2. Looking Up

_**A/N: Major time skip in this one! Sorry if you didn't want that or it's confusing!  
**_

* * *

Caroline smiled small as she cuddled into Elijah's side, she was pleased with the turn of events in her life.

All the plans for her wedding had been finalized, her dress was ready and waiting upstairs in her bedroom, the apartment she and Nick purchased was furnished, the church was booked, the music was prepared, everything was ready, finally.

She had this wedding planned when she was just seven and now it was all seemingly coming to life before her very eyes…She only wished that her mother was here to help her.

It was times like this that she just missed her mother more than anything else in the world. The one event that she was certain her mother would be there for…Keeping her tears at bay, she closed her eyes and felt grateful that her father was still here with her.

"I miss her, too." Elijah whispered, breaking the silence, somehow sensing what she was thinking.

Caroline sighed, "It all feels weird…I'm expecting her to walk into the house and demand to double check the catering."

He nodded, agreeing with her, "I know the feeling…But you know she's always here with us…She always will be."

"I know, but it's not the same…"

He heaved a heavy sigh, not knowing the proper thing to say to her this time.

* * *

"You're so tense, sweetheart. You _need _to relax, the stressful part is over." Nick said as he stood behind Caroline, massaging her tense shoulders.

"Ha!" She scoffed, "The stressful part is this weekend, crazy! Everything has just been the prelude to the big stress day to come. I won't stop stressing until I have your last name and we're in our honeymoon suite." She said with a giddy smile while leaning against him.

"Hmm…Maybe we should just practice what we're going to do in that suite until this weekend, huh?" Nick suggested as he began to trail kisses down her neck.

Closing her eyes and sighing with contentment, she nodded slowly, "Okay…but just for tonight…Tomorrow's our bachelor and bachelorette parties and before that even starts I have to finalize everything with the florist and caterers and-"

Nick cut off her ranting by spinning her chair around and planting a soft kiss on her lips, "I know we are going to be busy with stressful wedding details tomorrow along with our own fun parties, but I miss you…For tonight, you and I need to have some fun together; just us. So, for tonight…you are all mine and I am all yours. There will be _no _worrying over any plans that need to be finalized, _no_ talking about bachelor and bachelorette parties. I just want tonight to be about _just you and me_. Ok?"

'_What the hell do I say to that?'_ Caroline thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around, silently agreeing to his simple yet heartwarming request.

He was beyond right, tonight had to be about them and them alone. The past months had been hectic and, now that she thinks about it, they've barely had any time to themselves.

So, for Caroline, tonight wasn't just about her fiancé getting her to relax…Tonight will also most definitely be about her giving her fiancé some very much needed attention…

* * *

"We're running late! Get up Caroline!" Bonnie yelled through the phone, leaving a message while pulling her jeans on. It was well past ten in the morning and they still had things to do before they got ready for her party.

"Tell me why _I_ am being punished when it's not even my wedding." Kol said as he walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped firmly around his waist.

Bonnie rolled her eyes while making her way into the bathroom and combing her hair, "All I asked you to do was occupy Nick while we go and finish everything. Or would you like to switch jobs with me?"

"Meaning?" He asked with a smile as he began to get dressed.

"Meaning, _you_ go with Caroline and go through the final details with the caterers and florists and hair stylists and makeup artists."

Kol grimaced, "Yeah, I'd rather occupy Nick."

"That's what I thought." She laughed, pulling her shoes on before grabbing her keys and giving him a kiss, "Gotta go, love you!" She said before running out of the house to pick up Caroline.

* * *

Caroline and Nick both groaned as they heard the incessant pounding on their front door and the ringing of Caroline's phone.

Groggily, Caroline glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly eleven and bolted out of bed, "Shit, I'm late!" She shouted as she ran to the bathroom to shower, "Go open the door for Bonnie!"

Nick groaned and pulled himself out of bed, going to the door, he swung it open and shook his head, "No. I'm going back to bed." He said before retreating to his room, leaving a laughing Bonnie behind.

"Hurry up Caroline!" She shouted toward the bathroom as she went to the kitchen to get coffee.

* * *

"I think that's it, we're done!" Caroline giggled as she crossed the final thing from her list, looking up at Bonnie who was driving the car, "Now it's time to get ready!"

Bonnie smiled, "Come on, we need some new clothes to wear tonight." She said as she parked the car at the mall, "And yes, you're trying on whatever I tell you to, got it? Not only do you need an outfit for tonight, you need one for _tomorrow night._"

Caroline rolled her eyes, she wasn't one to go buy lingerie with a buddy; Bonnie on the other hand would change in the middle of the store if the clerks allowed that shit.

She shook her head, hiding a smile as she saw Rebecca waiting for them at the entrance to the mall, "You both are going to force me into every see through piece of clothing aren't you?"

Bonnie laughed and nodded, "Definitely."

* * *

"I'm telling you right now. No strippers. Drinking is okay, but I don't want to get wasted. Gambling is a maybe." Nick said as he sat with his brothers in the living room at Elijah's, playing video games.

"Why no strippers?!" Kol exclaimed, that part he was most looking forward to.

Elijah rolled his eyes, "I think it's because you, Nick and Stefan have women that would, more or less, cut your dicks off if they even knew you put your hands or money on another half-naked woman."

"Exactly." Nick and Stefan laughed while Kol very nearly pouted.

"Fine, you have a point. What about drinking? Why can't we get wasted?" Kol asked, already beginning to annoy them.

Stefan was the one who refuted, "The wedding is tomorrow, do you we really want to wake up with splitting migraines and nausea before having to stand at an altar?"

Kol rolled his eyes, "You three are no fun."

"We can be fun. We just have our wits about us, unlike you." Elijah said before beating all three of them in Call Of Duty, making the other three shout in protest.

* * *

Caroline hated changing into lingerie, especially in public. Her scars on full display were something she dreaded every damn time, but she couldn't say that now could she? If she did, it'd be beyond embarrassing.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, she let a hand trail over her stomach, the scar prominent against her skin. That familiar shiver went through her whenever she laid her eyes on the scar, remembering the pain…the fear in her mother's eyes…the look in Michael's…

She shook her head, trying to shake out the memories before the tears started to flow. She covered the scar with the pink lace and spun around…She liked this outfit.

It was simple, just a satin babydoll that she was sure Nick would love.

"Well come on! Let's see it!" She heard Rebecca shout, with a deep breath, she stepped out of the changing room and showed off what she was wearing.

"Oh you're buying that. Nick is going to die when he sees it on you!" Bonnie said as she spun her around, looking at the outfit from all angles.

Rebecca made a face, "I hate to say it, but my brother will love it for sure."

Caroline nodded and laughed, "I think so too. So I guess I'm buying it."

* * *

After shopping for what seemed like hours, which in reality was only one and a half, the girls put on their makeup at Caroline's.

They resembled a line of monkeys grooming each other as Bonnie was straightening Caroline's hair while Caroline did Rebecca's makeup.

Rebecca was the first to be finished, keeping her hair down with a natural wavy look, so she started to help Bonnie curl her hair.

"What's the point to looking hot tonight if we're going to look like utter shit in the morning?" Rebecca asked as she watched Caroline put on lipstick.

"It's fun." Bonnie and Caroline answered at the same time, each sharing a laugh.

"Then this fun is pretty much over, I think we're done." Bonnie said as she curled her last piece of ramrod straight hair.

"Let's go!" Caroline said in excitement as she slipped her heels on.

* * *

At the club, Caroline was having fun, dancing and drinking the night away with her two best friends…

Of course it was all look and no touch for each of them, it was still beyond fun, getting to tease the guys that wanted them and flirting with the ones that handed out free drinks like it was nobody's business.

But after a few hours, it seemed the crowd became far too large for Caroline…The air became thicker for her to breathe in, making it difficult for her to catch her breath.

She wasn't sure if it was because of her anxiety or because she was six ways from Sunday drunk, but before anyone else noticed, she made her way outside and gasped for air.

She was beginning to grow tired of this…No matter what she did, she always felt that anxiety bubble in her chest whenever she was seemingly surrounded.

Running her hands through her hair, she tried to regain her composure. Taking a look around, she hated how the street looked. Nearly empty…everyone in the buildings partying on a Friday night…and her, alone outside.

It brought back one too many memories for her and before she knew it, she was sitting on the ground, her skinny jean sheathed knees on either side of her head as she tried to calm down. This wasn't the kind of bachelorette party she had in mind.

She should've known that tonight would've ended in her idiotic mood swings ruining her good mood.

Maybe she should just slip away and go home, her friends were too busy drinking and dancing to notice…

Before she could look up, a set of feet were in front of her, she looked closely and they were men's sneakers. She gulped and looked up and she felt her whimper of fear get stuck in her throat as her eyes met the one and only Mason's.

The only thing she could think before everything went black was _Not again._

* * *

_Playlist_

_Looking Up – Paramore_

_Something In Your Mouth – Nickelback _

_When They Come For Me – Linkin Park_

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review and tell me what you think of it, I miss opening my email and seeing a bunch of reviews (which in actuality were about four or five lol) **_  
_

**Anyway, I hope you like it! I love you all!**

**-WeirdOne**


	3. Wedding Bells In The Distance

Caroline sat up sharply, recalling seeing Mason's face before she passed out. "No, no, no, no, no." She repeated over and over while still in that haze that you're in after waking from a dream. She had no clue she was back in her room or that Bonnie and Rebecca were next to her on the bed, sleeping their slight hangovers away.

She was basically sleepwalking, not realizing that she was safe and sound, "Please not again…I can't do this again!" She was practically screaming at this point, thrashing, not seeing that she was in her room, rather seeing that she was back in that hotel with Mason and her mother.

"Caroline! Caroline, calm down!" Rebecca yelled as she held Caroline's wrists while she thrashed, she looked around and realized Bonnie left the bed and was nowhere in the room. "Damon it, Care stop it!"

"Let go of me! Get away from me!" Caroline screamed as she felt the hands on her, not seeing it was her soon-to-be-sister-in-law. Before she could scream anymore, she felt a spray of cold water splash over her and that seemed to snap her out of it.

Rebecca sighed in relief when Caroline seemed to stop fighting her and the screaming cease, "Jesus, what the hell was that?!"

Caroline took a deep breath and tried to calm her breathing, finally realizing that she was in her room, how she got there, she had no idea, but she had to calm down to tell them.

"Was it another nightmare?" Bonnie asked, knowing from Nick that Caroline had been having nightmares of that day since Katherine's funeral.

Caroline didn't even answer, she just climbed out of bed and ran to the bathroom, feeling her knees shake as her heart kept on its pounding. Locking herself in, she turned to stare at her reflection and felt a chill run through her spine as she noticed that she was in her pajamas and her hair was in a ponytail…She knew for a fact that the last thing she was wearing was her skinny jeans and blouse and her hair was down…She didn't even remember coming home. The realization came that it must've been Mason made her stomach churn, she barely made it to the toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach.

Bonnie and Rebecca shared a worried look as they heard her gags, "Should I tell Nick?" Rebecca asked as she heard her sobbing in between her heaves.

Bonnie shook her head, "No…It was just a nightmare…He doesn't need to worry about that today…We can handle it."

Rebecca nodded warily, "Okay…"

* * *

"Get up you lazy asses. It's time for a certain one of us to get married." Elijah called out as he walked through the house where all the men were staying for the night, freshly showered and dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt.

Kol groaned and covered his head with a pillow from his place on the couch, "Shut the hell up, Elijah. It's not even past seven." He grumbled while Nick sat up from his place on the floor.

"Actually, it's nearly 8:30. Now, get your lazy ass up off my couch before I dump a bucket of ice on you." He said once more before walking into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, slightly shocked to see Stefan already dressed and drinking a glass of coffee himself.

"You're up fairly early, I was expecting to have to drag you awake like I'll have to do with Kol." Elijah said as he served himself coffee.

"I'm used to waking up early." Stefan said with a shrug, "So you ready for the big walk down the aisle?"

"I'm the one that has the hard job of actually letting her go, so it'll be hard…But knowing I'm giving her away to Nick…that makes the thought a bit more bearable." Elijah said slowly as he sipped his coffee.

"It's kinda weird isn't it? Having her marry your brother?" Stefan asked, no one had really asked the question before now and Elijah raised his eyebrows slightly as he answered.

"Well…it is odd…but they love each other and would quite literally die for the other so their relations to me aren't that big a deal. As Caroline says, they aren't related themselves, before Michael took her, neither knew the other existed so." He shrugged.

Stefan nodded slowly, "As long as they're happy…They both deserve it after all the shit they were put through."

"I couldn't agree more." Elijah nodded as he heard Nick and Kol start their bickering.

* * *

Caroline decided it was best to take a shower and wash off the anxiety before it ruined the rest of her day…As she was pulling her clothes off, she found a handprint shaped bruise forming on the side of her stomach and once again felt that cold chill go through her body.

She slowly put a hand over it and saw that it was considerably larger than her own hand and she knew she didn't have it yesterday. It truly must've been Mason's _handiwork_.

Gulping the bile that was rising in her throat, she quickly got into the shower and washed her body furiously, as if excessive amounts of scrubbing would wash away the bruise itself.

She had to tell someone…But not today…not right before her wedding. That's probably what Mason wanted so she thought it'd be better to keep her mouth shut.

When she got out of the shower, she put some makeup on her bruise so tonight, Nick wouldn't notice a thing, hopefully.

* * *

Nick was more than nervous now that the clock showed that it was nearing noon, the wedding was at two this afternoon and the closer it got, the higher his nerves rose.

He gulped down his bottle of water as he paced in his room, oblivious to his best friend watching him. "Calm it down, Nick. You shouldn't even be worried." Stefan spoke up from his place in the doorway.

"It's not worry…I'm nervous." Nick scoffed a bit as he put his hands in his pockets to keep from shaking, "I'm honestly waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's all so real and I'm literally on edge waiting for it all to fall apart and this happiness to be ripped away from me." He confessed as he turned his back on Stefan.

Stefan sighed, "That's normal considering everything you both have been through, but today is all happy and smiles and fun, Nick. You're marrying Caroline, you're both safe, everyone is gone from our lives and we're being normal for the first time in a long time. You can't let that fear and negativity set in and ruin what should be the happiest day of your life."

"I know, I know…I just can't help it. I mean…Michael is dead but Mason is still out there somewhere lurking in the shadows. It leaves me uneasy."

"Trust me, if he shows his face anywhere near here or this family, we'll know." Stefan assured him, hoping to quell these fears that plagued him.

Nick nodded slowly, "Right…It's almost time…I should get dressed I suppose." He said before leaving the room and heading to the guest room where all the tuxedos were being kept.

* * *

Elijah sighed as he stared down his glass of bourbon, his heart feeling heavy as the clock behind him ticked away the seconds. He immediately felt bad for Caroline, who was getting ready for her big day without the woman that should've been there for her.

He sighed deeply and pulled his phone out of his pocket before calling her, it took her about two rings before she answered the phone, "Daddy…"

"Hey sweetheart…You okay?" He asked her, wanting to show as much support as he could.

He heard her take in a shaky breath, "I'm…managing. I haven't cried in two hours."

"Do you want me to go spend time with you? I'm already dressed and ready, so I can manage it now." He offered, placing the cup down and already searching for his keys.

"No. No, Dad, I promise I'm okay…Stay there with the guys, I promise I'm okay."

"You're sure?" Elijah asked.

"Yes, Dad…I just cried because I missed mom."

"Okay…"

"And please don't tell Nick…I don't need him worrying over me today of all days."

"I won't say anything." He swore to her, "I love you, Caroline."

"I love you too Daddy." She whispered before hanging up on him, calming herself as the hair stylist pulled her hair up into a perfect up-do.

"Everything okay?" Rebecca asked as the makeup artist applied her eye shadow and Bonnie painted her own fingernails.

"Yeah, he's just checking in." She said with an almost carefree smile as the stray strands of hair that wouldn't stay up were curled.

Bonnie smiled a little, "Kol texted earlier and asked how you were too."

"I feel coddled." Caroline scoffed.

"At least you know they care for you." Rebecca said as she stared at herself in the mirror, pleased with her look.

"Yeah…" Caroline sighed.

* * *

Nick stared at himself in the mirror and straightened his bowtie, it was nearing the hour and he swore his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

Kol walked in, fiddling with the bowtie and scoffed, "Nick do you mind helping me with this?"

Nick smirked, "Yes I do mind."

He turned to see Kol giving him a glare, "Alright fine, come here." Klaus gave in and reached out to fix his bowtie, "You're just like a child."

"I'm your little brother. I have to be a child." Kol said with a smirk of his own.

Nick reached up quickly and gave the younger brother a quick slap to his cheek, "Smartass." He said before straightening the bowtie and turning back to the mirror to make sure he looked acceptable.

"Ow!" Kol exclaimed, "That's it. I'm telling Caroline you're being abusive."

Nick laughed, "I'm sure she'd give you a good slap herself."

"Hardly. She loves me far too much." Kol said with a smile before clapping his older brother on the back, "Loosen up, Mate. It's nearly time and all you have to do is say two words, she's the one that has to be the most nervous."

"I'll remind you when the roles are reversed and you're the one having to say two words." Nick said with a small smirk before Elijah and Stefan walked in, "It's time for us to leave."

Nick nodded while Kol looked himself over and made sure he wasn't missing anything. "Let's go then."

With a huge smile, Nick shook the nervousness off, Kol was right to an extent. He shouldn't be so nervous. It was almost time and his job was easy really. He just couldn't wait any longer to call Caroline his and _his alone_.

* * *

"You wanna talk about that nightmare of yours?" Bonnie asked as the stylists left and it was just them and Rebecca.

Caroline shook her head, straightening out the silk white dress she was wearing, "No…It was…the norm; Remembering that day and my mom and me not being able to do a thing about it."

Rebecca nodded a little, "You gave us quite a scare."

"I'm sorry…It's never that bad…Nick says I usually just wake up crying." Caroline said as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Well I'm grateful you weren't alone…It would've been worse if you had been."

"I'm grateful you guys were here too…" She whispered before glancing at the clock and straightening up, "It's about time for us to leave."

Bonnie and Rebecca both nodded and put their heels on, "Ready to be a _Mrs. Nicholas Smith_?" Rebecca asked with a smile.

Caroline, for the first time all day, genuinely smiled and giggled, "I honestly can't wait."

"Then let's go!" Bonnie said before they all filed out of the house and into the limo that was waiting for them.

Caroline smiled to herself as she let the giddiness replace the sorrow, nervousness and fear in her heart. _I'm getting married._ She thought to herself and she could barely restrain herself from jumping up and down in place in the backseat.

Little did she know that there was a certain someone who was planning on crashing the special occasion…

* * *

_Playlist:_

_Slipped Away - Avril Lavigne_

_Breathe - Faith Hill_

_I Do - Colbie Caillat_


	4. Wedding Crasher

"Deep breaths, Care." Bonnie said as they waited in the front of the church while she adjusted Kol's jacket.

"I think I know how to dress myself Darling." Kol said as he gently shrugged away from her and fixed his jacket himself.

Bonnie scoffed, "You obviously don't, you were crooked. Care seriously, deep calming breaths."

Caroline kept shaking her hands out to rid herself of the nerves that kept climbing up into her head. "I'm trying but all I'm feeling is butterflies and nerves and every single thing in between." Caroline sighed as she paced a little, "Where's my dad?"

"He's on his way back here." Rebecca said as she smiled at Stefan who just laughed at Caroline's nervousness.

"You look funny when you're all panicky." Stefan said in between laughs.

"You try calming down when you're about to walk down the aisle to the man you're spending the rest of your life with in front of all your family and friends." Caroline slightly ranted before she sighed in relief, seeing her father coming toward her looking dapper in his tuxedo. "Daddy." She said with a smile as he stared at her.

"You look so beautiful, Care…" Elijah said as he kept staring at her. He knew little about dresses but he knew for a fact that this dress was made for little girl alone.

She smiled and smoothed her hands down her mermaid style high-neck lace dress, "Thanks…I hope he likes it."

"He's going to love it." Elijah assured her as he reached forward and held her hands in his, "Calm down…I can feel you shaking."

"I can't help it." She chuckled breathlessly when she heard the bridal party's processional song playing. "Oh my god…"

Rebecca smiled eagerly as she and Stefan stood side by side, ready to walk down the aisle to stand on either side of the altar, "Breathe and be calm. The hard part is nearly over."

Kol went up to Caroline and kissed her on the cheek then leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Just think of all the stuff you'll be up to tonight and the nerves will disappear."

Caroline slapped him on the arm, "Nice."

Elijah, assuming correctly that Kol told her something inappropriate, punched him on his other arm, "We're in a church."

Kol laughed before Bonnie began to pull him away so they could walk down next, "Come on."

Caroline let out a deep, shaky breath, "I can't believe it's finally happening…and she's not here."

Elijah sighed before coming up to her and hugging her, "I know…No crying right now. You have to look your very best for him…but before we go down…I want you to wear this." Elijah said as he pulled a box out of his pocket and held it out and opened it for her.

Caroline felt the air rush out of her lungs and tears fill her eyes as she saw her mother's favorite bracelet lying in the box, "Daddy…"

"She'd want you to wear it." Elijah said as he, too, felt the tears build in his eyes.

She smiled and nodded a little as she lifted the bracelet, "Put it on for me…It's almost time."

Elijah nodded and set the box back into his pocket and placed the bracelet onto her wrist, "She'd be so proud of you."

Caroline closed her eyes tight to hold her tears back and felt him place a soft kiss on her forehead, "Now let's go. That's your cue." He said as _Here Comes The Bride_ began.

As they stood side by side, Caroline squeezed Elijah's arm just a tad harder as they took their first steps down the aisle.

* * *

As everyone left to the front of the church, Nick was left to be in his nervousness. He knew there was truly no reason to be nervous right now, but it was just how it felt.

In a matter of minutes, everything he had been looking forward to for the past ten months would come to pass. He would be Caroline's husband…She would be his and his alone and that enough set a million butterflies loose in his stomach, which was rare for him.

He walked to the altar and waited with bated breath as his siblings and their beloveds walk down and take their places on either side of him.

As he heard the opening notes for _Here Comes The Bride, _he turned as the whole congregation stood from their seats to watch his lovely bride walk down the aisle.

His breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes upon her, she was absolutely beautiful. Her dress made her even more flawless than she already was.

He saw her smiling and he was sure those were tears in her eyes as she made her way to him, too slow for his liking, and he couldn't do anything more than return the smile.

This was the moment they had all been waiting for…

* * *

"Do you Caroline, take Nicholas to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked as Rebecca gave the ring to Caroline.

Caroline smiled at Nick, with some tears in her eyes, as she slid his ring on, "I do."

"And do you Nicholas, take Caroline to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest repeated while Elijah handed the ring to Nick.

"I do." Nick said with the biggest smile as he placed the ring on her finger.

Both literally felt their hearts soar as the priest said, "You may now kiss the bride."

They honestly couldn't get to each other fast enough it seemed, without really remembering that they were in front of their family and friends, they kissed like it was their first and last. The only thing breaking them apart was the cheer from the crowd before them.

* * *

It was now time for their first dance; the newlywed couple began to spin around on the dancefloor to the song _The Beginning_ by _Alice Peacock._

"We're married." Caroline smiled to him as he held her close as they spun around the dancefloor effortlessly.

"Finally feeling that stressful weight lift off your shoulders?" He asked with a smile.

She nodded, "Yes, I am and it's replaced with a wonderful _happy_ feeling."

"I'm glad. Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?" He asked her as he leant his forehead against hers.

"Well I did have professional help, Babe." She giggled before kissing him.

"Help or not, you always look this beautiful _Mrs. Smith._" He said to her with a genuinely happy smile.

"I could get used to that name." She said coyly, hiding her blush.

"Well I would hope so. It's going to be your name forever now." He laughed.

She laughed along with him, "Forever…Just you and me for forever?"

"Hmm…I don't think it'd _just_ be you and me…I'd like to have some kids…If that's something you'd want too." He said, letting the idea settle, never really bringing it up before now.

She nodded, "I like that idea…Maybe we can start on that tonight."

"So soon?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"You know me. I'm impatient. You can't bring up the idea of having kids and expect me not to want to start trying as soon as possible." She giggled.

"I'm all for trying, but we can't exactly do it with all these eyes on us, now can we?" He asked her, laughing his head off, earning a light slap on the arm.

"I can try and be patient and hold off until tonight." She said with a small, shy smile.

"Tonight it is then." He said before kissing her, ignoring the flashes from the cameras around them.

* * *

At the sight of them kissing, a certain wedding crasher could've sworn he saw red…

Watching silently, he heard the song _I Loved Her First _and watched Caroline and Elijah dance.

* * *

"You sure you're gonna be okay in the house all alone?" Caroline asked, genuinely worried for her father.

"You worry about me far too much. I'll be okay." He assured, "You shouldn't even be worrying today of all days."

"But I am, just because it's you and you've always had Mom…And now…" She trailed off then started again, "It's just…I'm entitled to worry about you."

"I know you are, but just trust me. I'll be fine." He said as the song neared its end.

"Okay. I trust you." She sighed, knowing that was all she would be allowed to say about it.

"Thank you." He said with a small smile.

* * *

When the time came for everyone else to dance, Caroline was nearly shared with everyone there as each new song played; someone just had to dance with her.

Sharing laughs and jokes with each friend or family member there, she let herself be happy and in the moment, not worrying or missing anyone.

That all changed as someone interrupted her dance with one of her mother's uncles. When she turned to begin dancing with the next person, she felt her heart stop and sweat form on her palms.

"Don't you look gorgeous." Mason said to her as he snaked one arm around her waist and held her hand in his other.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered in fear, feeling his hand match perfectly against the bruise that was hidden away under her dress.

"Well I had to see you in a wedding dress. But I didn't get an invite, so I thought what better way than to crash?" He said with a smile that sent huge chills down her spine.

She looked around, hoping to capture the attention of either her father, Nick, Kol or Stefan but she had no such luck.

"I picked the right time. They're all busy dancing around in their own bubbles and won't notice or interrupt us. And if you try to run off, you'll cause that scene I'm sure you don't want. But if you blab to them that I'm here, Nick won't be around to see your one year wedding anniversary."

Squeezing her eyes shut to hold back the tears, she asked as calmly as she could, "What do you want?"

He leaned in and pressed his cheek against hers and it took all she had not to shove him away, "The answer is simple. You. I want _you_, Caroline."

She was grateful as the song ended and she pulled herself away, looking around quickly to find one of the guys, but when she turned back around, he was gone and his warning sounded in her head.

_If you blab to them that I'm here, Nick won't be around to see your one year wedding anniversary._

As she saw Nick approach her, she hid her tears well and smiled, "Hi."

"You alright?" He asked and she cursed the fact that he knew her so well.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine…Ready for some cake cutting?"

He knew in his gut that something was wrong…He wasn't sure that it was her just missing her mother or something else, but for now, he'd play along with her charade while in front of everyone. He'd ask her what was wrong later on for sure though.

* * *

_Playlist:_

_The Beginning – Alice Peacock_

_I Loved Her First – Heartland_

_Powerless – Linkin Park (a must listen)_

* * *

**I hope you like this…It's nearly 3am right now and I'm dead tired, so please forgive any and all mistakes! And if you're actually reading all my stories, yes I did delete My Best Friend and A Drop Of Innocence. Long story short, I lost my feel for them and needed to focus more on this and A Forgotten Bond. I'm sorry to those that actually loved those two stories. And if you want to talk just PM me here or follow my twitter: BeautifulAccola and DM me there, I do follow back :)**

**Much love**

**-WeirdOne**


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